Renting between neighbours. Not on luck.
Every rental follows the same rules, and every rule is on this page: who the other side is, how the money moves, what the deposit does, how the handover is proven, and what happens when something breaks.
Four things you can count on
No cash, no anonymous accounts, no handover without a record — and no decision about damage without evidence.
How it works in detail
Ten sections, each with a link to where it is written down bindingly.
Who rents and lends here
Booking and listing both need an account with a confirmed email address, and owners also confirm a mobile number. Owners set up their own Stripe account, where the rent is paid — Stripe verifies their identity and bank account there, and a listing only becomes visible once that account takes payments. Renters verify their identity once through Stripe above a total value of €100 including the deposit.
Payment only through the platform
All payments run through Stripe, never in cash and never at the door. You save your card when sending the request; it is only charged once the rental contract is concluded — 48 hours before the rental starts, immediately for short-notice rentals. The rent goes directly to the owner's Stripe account; Leihnachbar holds no money. If the owner does not confirm within 24 hours, nothing happens.
The deposit is reserved, not charged
If the owner sets a deposit, it is only reserved on the renter's card at handover. After a clean return the reservation is released immediately. Only what the renter accepts in a damage report, or what the review establishes, is captured — the rest is released.
Handover with a one-time code and photos
The handover happens in person, at a time agreed in the chat. It can only be confirmed once the rent is paid and any agreed deposit is reserved — with a one-time code the owner shows the renter. The device's condition is recorded with photos at handover and return; the message thread serves as the record.
Your address stays private
A listing shows the neighbourhood, not the street. The exact address only becomes visible after the contract is concluded, together with the agreed appointment. Uploaded photos are re-encoded on save so no location data from the camera remains in them. Card details are seen only by Stripe.
Reviews on both sides
After every return, renter and owner review each other. An owner's rating is shown on their listings, and reviews count: the surcharge on the payout falls with good reviews on both sides from the base rate of 25 percent to as low as 20 percent, and reliable owners rank higher in search.
Damage is settled on evidence
The owner reports damage when taking the device back, with photos and an amount. The renter can respond within five calendar days and submit their own evidence; silence does not count as acceptance. If they accept the claim, the amount is captured from the reserved deposit; otherwise Leihnachbar reviews the documented evidence. The rent itself is unaffected.
What Leihnachbar is not: an insurer
Leihnachbar is not an insurer and does not currently arrange rental insurance. The protection consists of the deposit, account verification, identity verification from €100, the photo and chat record, and deposit claims being handled through the platform. For valuable equipment it is worth checking your own liability or equipment cover.
What may not be rented out
Some things do not belong on the platform: vehicles of any kind, drones, chainsaws, petrol generators, scaffolding, medical devices, child seats, weapons — and anything there is no right to rent out. The list is public, and listings that break it are removed.
Something wrong? Report it.
Any listing can be reported, even without an account — on suspicion of a prohibited device, fraud or false details. Leihnachbar reviews reports. During a booking, the message thread is the place for anything that should be provable later.
Read enough?
Find a device nearby or list one — the rules are the same for both sides.